Ilja Dragunov has been off WWE TV for four months. His last match came on the April 17 SmackDown, where he competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal won by Royce Keys.
Unlike his previous absence between 2024 and 2025, when a serious knee injury kept him out for nearly a year, the issue this time isn’t physical.
Fightful Select reported that Dragunov has been training regularly at Natalya and TJ Wilson’s Dungeon. Sean Ross Sapp noted he had not received any information pointing to an injury but also hadn’t heard of any creative plans in place for the wrestler.
An August 10 update reinforced that reporting: Dragunov is healthy and ready to go, but WWE simply hasn’t landed on a creative direction to bring him back to SmackDown. The rumor that he was pulled from TV after turning down a contract extension was also shot down.
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7:46 PM · Aug 17, 2026 Read more on XThere is, however, another layer to the situation. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said WWE currently views Dragunov as a midcard talent rather than a future top guy. According to Meltzer, other wrestlers have been slotted into the top storylines while Dragunov has been left on the outside looking in. Meltzer also suggested that Dragunov’s promos may be a factor in that internal evaluation.
The situation stands out because Dragunov returned from his prior injury on October 17, 2025 and immediately beat Sami Zayn for the United States Championship, going on to hold the title for 70 days.
In late June, Bryan Alvarez reported that Dragunov’s return would come “sooner than later.” Despite that, he remained absent from SmackDown through at least the August 14 episode.